User equipment including spectrum analyzer, and network device

ABSTRACT

User equipment (UE) can include a spectrum analyzer to monitor characteristics of transmission channels. The user equipment can monitor a 600 MHz spectrum and associated channels, for example, to determine if the spectrum is free of interference or is currently occupied. The UE can analyze a received signal strength indication (RSSI), a reference signal received power (RSRP), a reference signal received quality (RSRQ), and signal-to-interference-plus-noise ratio (SINR), for example, to distinguish between types of interference if a channel is occupied. User equipment (UE) can aggregate data and report such data to a network device further aggregate the data and to generate reports. Network components can be deployed or optimized based at least in part on network metrics provided by individual UEs or aggregated data provided by a plurality of UEs. In some instances, the UE can be a mobile phone of a customer to gather metrics in a distributed manner.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This patent application claims priority filing benefit from U.S.Provisional Patent Application No. 62/540,923, filed Aug. 3, 2017, theentirety of which is hereby incorporated by reference.

BACKGROUND

Modern telecommunication systems include heterogeneous mixtures ofsecond, third, and fourth generation (2G, 3G, and 4G) cellular-wirelessaccess technologies, which may be cross-compatible and may operatecollectively to provide data communication services. Global Systems forMobile (GSM) is an example of 2G telecommunications technologies;Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS) is an example of 3Gtelecommunications technologies; and Long Term Evolution (LTE),including LTE Advanced, and Evolved High-Speed Packet Access (HSPA+) areexamples of 4G telecommunications technologies.

To facilitate advances in communication technologies, frequency bandsallocated for a first use can be reallocated for a second use. Oneexample is a recent incentive auction to reallocate the 600 MHz bandpreviously allocated for digital TV broadcast for cellular-wirelesscommunications, such as LTE Band 71. However, it can be difficult tocoordinate the transition from the first use to the second use, whichcan cause interference in wireless signals. Network providers cancommission drive testing, which often includes vehicle-based testingequipment to gather network data. However, such drive testing can belimited to testing on roads, can provide limited information, and can beprohibitive in terms of cost and time.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The detailed description is set forth with reference to the accompanyingfigures. In the figures, the left-most digit(s) of a reference numberidentifies the figure in which the reference number first appears. Theuse of the same reference numbers in different figures indicates similaror identical items or features.

FIG. 1 illustrates an example environment including a user equipmentincluding a spectrum analyzer to facilitate mobile collection of networkmetrics, as described herein.

FIG. 2A illustrates an example environment including a user equipmentcapturing metrics associated with a transmitter, as described herein.

FIG. 2B illustrates an example environment including a user equipmentcapturing metrics associated with multiple signals, as described herein.

FIG. 3 illustrates an example user equipment configured to implement thespectrum analyzer, in accordance with embodiments of the disclosure.

FIG. 4 illustrates an example network device configured to receivenetwork metrics captured by user equipment, in accordance withembodiments of the disclosure.

FIG. 5 illustrates an example visualization of data including datacaptured using a spectrum analyzer, as discussed herein.

FIG. 6 illustrates an example process for scanning of one or morefrequency resources to determine network metrics, as described herein.

FIG. 7 illustrates an example process for instructing components of auser equipment to scan a channel of a frequency resource, as describedherein.

FIG. 8 illustrates an example process for initiating scanning based on apower resource and/or location of user equipment, as described herein.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Systems, devices, and methods are directed to user equipment including aspectrum analyzer to determine network metrics, and a network device foranalyzing such network metrics. In some instances, the spectrum analyzercan be implemented as an application or component running on the userequipment configured to interact with an operating system component ofthe user equipment. The spectrum analyzer can instruct the operatingsystem component to control software and/or hardware associated with atransceiver of the user equipment to scan various channels in afrequency resource to determine metrics associated with the frequencyresource. In some instances, the frequency resource can be outside of afrequency band or range used by the user equipment to conductcommunications. In some instances, the one or more metrics can include,but are not limited to, a received signal strength indication (RSSI), areference signal received power (RSRP), a reference signal receivedquality (RSRQ), a signal-to-interference-plus-noise ratio (SINR), and/ora power density for a specific bandwidth in a frequency domain. The oneor more metrics can be sent to the network device for aggregation anddetermination of an interference level (e.g., an existing interferencelevel, an estimated interference level, etc.), for example, to determinewhether to deploy a transmitter to a location, to deploy a networkengineer to tune one or more transmitters to reduce the interference,and the like.

In one use case, the techniques discussed herein can be implemented on auser equipment configured to facilitate user communications using firstfrequency resources. In some instances, the first frequency resourcescan include, but are not limited to, an LTE Band 12 (e.g., a 700 MHzBand), an LTE Band 4 (e.g., 1700 MHz band and/or a 2100 MHz band), anLTE Band 2 (e.g., a 1900 MHz band), an LTE Band 66 (e.g., a 1700 MHzband and/or a 2100 MHz extended band), a UNITS Band 4, UMTS Band 2, GSMBand 2, and the like. Further, a spectrum analyzer can be implemented asan application on the user equipment to intermittently scan secondfrequency resources. In some instances, the second frequency resourcescan be separate from the first frequency resources. For example, thesecond frequency resources can include, but are not limited to, an LTEBand 71(e.g., a 600 MHz band), an LTE Band 48 (e.g., 3500 MHz), and thelike. As can be understood, the first frequency resource and the secondfrequency resource can include any range of wireless frequencies capableof being used to communicate data. Thus, in general, the techniques caninclude the user equipment using the first frequency resources forcommunication(s) (e.g., voice communication, data communications, etc.),and can use the spectrum analyzer to scan the second frequencyresources, without using the second frequency resources forcommunication(s). However, in some instances, the techniques can includeutilizing the second frequency resources for communication(s), whilemonitoring metrics associated with the resources to determine sources ofinterference, for example.

Further, in some instances, the techniques described herein can includedetermining one or more of a power resource or a location of the userequipment, and initiating scanning of a frequency resource based atleast in part on the power resource or the location. For example, if abattery of the user equipment is below a threshold value, the spectrumanalyzer can be prevented from scanning a frequency resource. In anotherexample, if a location of the user equipment is outside of an area, suchas a geofenced location, the user equipment can be prevented fromscanning the frequency resource.

In some instances, the spectrum analyzer can initiate scanning of afrequency resource at a time in which the user equipment is notutilizing the frequency resource for a communication. In some instances,the spectrum analyzer can initiate scanning of the frequency resource ata time in which the user equipment is utilizing the frequency resourcefor a communication.

The systems, devices, and techniques described herein can improve afunctioning of a network by capturing metrics associated with frequencyresources that can be used to deploy and/or optimize network hardware.For example, the systems, devices, and techniques can determine when anetwork resource is occupied by a legacy transmission element (e.g., atelevision station) to determine that the legacy transmission elementcan be disabled to allow for the network resource to be utilized forcommunications by and between user equipment. Further, determiningmetrics can allow network engineers to tune components (e.g., powerlevel(s), antenna orientation(s), frequency overlap(s), and the like) ina system to reduce interference caused by the various components.Additionally, the systems, devices, and techniques discussed hereinprovide a distributed framework for spectrum analysis, which can providenetwork information more efficiently than drive testing, for example. Insome instance, the techniques can be used to reduce power consumption toextend a battery life of a user equipment during testing. Further,location-based initiating of scanning can reduce congestion and/orprocessing of data where such data is not needed. These and otherimprovements to the functioning of a computer and network are discussedherein.

The systems, devices, and techniques described herein can be implementedin a number of ways. Example implementations are provided below withreference to the following figures.

FIG. 1 illustrates an example environment 100 including a user equipment(UE) including a spectrum analyzer to facilitate mobile collection ofnetwork metrics, as described herein.

In some instances, a user equipment 102 can include a spectrum analyzercomponent 104 and one or more transceiver(s) 106. In general, the userequipment 102 can receive a signal 108 output by a transmitter 110 todetermine one or more metrics associated with the signal 108. In someinstances, the user equipment 102 can receive the signal 108 and analyzethe signal 108, as discussed herein, independent of conducting anycommunications via the signal 108 and/or the transmitter 110. Forexample, the transmitter 110 can represent a television transmittertransmitting the signal 108 in a 600 MHz band. In some instances, thetransmitter 110 can represent any one-directional or two-directionalwireless communication transceiver.

In some instances, the one or more transceiver(s) 106 can receive thesignal 108 at the user equipment 102, and the spectrum analyzercomponent 104 can determine various metrics associated with the signal108. For example, the one or more metrics can include, but are notlimited to, one or more of a received signal strength indication (RSSI),a reference signal received power (RSRP), a reference signal receivedquality (RSRQ), and a signal-to-interference-plus-noise ratio (SINR).Further, the metrics can include a channel identifier (e.g., channel 1,2, . . . , N (where N is an integer)) and/or an indication of afrequency associated with a channel (e.g., 617-622 MHz, 622-627 MHz,627-632 MHz, . . . 647-652 MHz). In some instances, the metrics caninclude a number of channels associated with a particular frequencyband. In some instances, the metrics can be determined independently fora channel or for a block of frequencies. In some instances, based atleast in part on metrics, the user equipment 102 and/or a network devicecan determine characteristics of the signal 108, such as whether thesignal is a television signal or a signal for wireless communication(e.g., to exchange (bidirectional) voice and/or data).

In some instances, the user equipment 102 can receive a plurality ofsignals, for example, by tuning one or more filters associated with thetransceiver(s) 106, to isolate a specific frequency of a signal. Othertechniques can be used to configure the user equipment 102 to receive arange of frequencies.

The user equipment 102 can communicate with one or more networkdevice(s) 112 via one or more network(s) 114.

In some instances, the network device(s) 112 can include an aggregationcomponent 116 that can receive one or more metrics from the userequipment 102, as well as other user equipment, and aggregate themetrics to generate a visualization 118. In some instances, and asdiscussed herein, the visualization 118 can be used, at least in part,to determine locations of transmitters that are active and that shouldotherwise be inactive, to determine locations where to deploy basestations or other network devices, to determine locations where anetwork signal is associated with poor quality, to inform decisionsregarding optimization of wireless transmissions, and the like. As canbe understood, the aggregation component 116 is not limited tooutputting the visualization 118, and any number of visualizations ordata can be utilized, as discussed herein.

Examples of the user equipment 102 can include, but are not limited to,smart phones, mobile phones, cell phones, tablet computers, portablecomputers, laptop computers, personal digital assistants (PDAs),electronic book devices, or any other portable electronic devices thatcan generate, request, receive, transmit, or exchange voice, video,and/or digital data over a network. Additional examples of the userequipment 102 include, but are not limited to, smart devices such astelevisions, refrigerators, washing machines, dryers, smart mirrors,coffee machines, lights, lamps, temperature sensors, music players,headphones, or any other electronic appliances that can generate,request, receive, transmit, or exchange voice, video, and/or digitaldata over a network.

In some instances, the network device(s) 112 can be implemented as oneor more communication servers to facilitate communications by andbetween the various devices in the environment 100. That is, the networkdevice(s) 112 can represent any computing devices implementing variousaspects of one or more of second, third, and fourth generation (2G, 3G,and 4G) cellular-wireless access technologies, which may becross-compatible and may operate collectively to provide datacommunication services. Global Systems for Mobile (GSM) is an example of2G telecommunications technologies; Universal Mobile TelecommunicationsSystem (UMTS) is an example of 3G telecommunications technologies; andLong Term Evolution (LTE), including LTE Advanced, and EvolvedHigh-Speed Packet Access (HSPA+) are examples of 4G telecommunicationstechnologies. Thus, the network device(s) 112 may implement GSM, UMTS,and/or LTE/LTE Advanced telecommunications technologies. The networkdevice(s) 112 may include, but is not limited to, a combination of: basetransceiver stations BTSs (e.g., NodeBs, Enhanced-NodeBs), Radio NetworkControllers (RNCs), serving GPRS support nodes (SGSNs), gateway GPRSsupport nodes (GGSNs), proxies, a mobile switching center (MSC), amobility management entity (MME), a serving gateway (SGW), a packet datanetwork (PDN) gateway (PGW), an evolved packet data gateway (e-PDG), anInternet Protocol (IP) Multimedia Subsystem (IMS), or any other datatraffic control entity configured to communicate and/or route datapackets between the user equipment 102, the network device(s) 112,and/or the network(s) 114. In some embodiments, the network device(s)112 are operated by a service provider. While FIG. 1 illustrates thenetwork device(s) 112, it is understood in the context of this document,that the techniques discussed herein may also be implemented in othernetworking technologies, such as nodes that are part of a wide areanetwork (WAN), metropolitan area network (MAN), local area network(LAN), neighborhood area network (NAN), personal area network (PAN), orthe like.

Examples of the network(s) 114 can include, but are not limited tonetworks including second-generation (2G), third-generation (3G), orfourth-generation (4G) cellular networks, such as LTE (Long TermEvolution), and data networks, such as Wi-Fi networks.

In some instances, the user equipment 102 can communicate with anynumber of user equipment, servers, network devices, computing devices,and the like.

FIG. 2A illustrates an example environment 200 including a userequipment 202 capturing metrics 204 associated with a transmitter 206,as described herein. In some instances, the user equipment 202 canreceive a signal 208 output by the transmitter 206 and can determine themetrics 204 associated with the signal 208. As illustrated, the metrics204 associated with the signal 208 indicate a relatively high RSSI(e.g., indicated by ↑ (an up arrow)), and an unknown SINR (e.g.,indicated by d/c (“don't care”)). That is, in some instances, the userequipment 202 can receive the signal 208 and can determine that thesignal 208 does not include a reference signal, for example, resultingin an invalid RSRP determination. Thus, the user equipment 202 candetermine that the signal 208 is not associated with a wirelesscommunication, and therefore can ignore or skip a determination of theSINR of the signal 208. In some instances, although discussed in termsof the user equipment 202 processing the signal 208, any element (suchas the network device(s) 112) can process the signal 208 and/or make anydeterminations, as discussed herein.

Further, in some instances, the user equipment 202 can send the metrics204 to a network device (such as the network device(s) 112) foraggregation and processing.

In some instances, the user equipment 202 can monitor the signal 208without utilizing the frequency resources associated with the signal 208for communication(s). That is, the user equipment 202 can communicatewith other devices using a separate base station or wirelesstransceiver, not illustrated in FIG. 2A.

FIG. 2B illustrates an example environment 210 including the userequipment 202 capturing metrics associated with multiple signals, asdescribed herein. For example, the user equipment 202 can receive thesignal 208 output by the transmitter 206 and can receive a signal 212output by the base station 214.

In some instances, the user equipment 202 can be utilizing the basestation 214 for communication(s) with other servers and/or userequipment. In some instances, the signal 212 can be associated with afirst set of frequency resources and the signal 208 can be associatedwith a second set of frequency resources. In some instances, at least aportion of the first set of frequency resources can overlap with atleast a portion of the second set of frequency resources. Thus, thesignal 208 can be received as noise and/or interference with respect tothe signal 212.

The user equipment 202 can determine one or more metrics 216 associatedwith the signal 212 (or 208). For example, as illustrated, the metrics216 associated with the signal 212 indicate a relatively high RSSI(e.g., indicated by ↑ (an up arrow)), and a relatively low SINR (e.g.,indicated by ↓ (a down arrow)). Thus, the metrics 216 can indicate thatthe signal 212 is a communications signal and that it is experiencingnoise and/or interference. As discussed herein, the user equipment 202can determine a location of the user equipment 202 associated with themetrics 216 and can provide the metrics 216 and the location to anetwork device for aggregation and/or subsequent analysis.

In some instances, the metrics 216 can be associated with a particularchannel or set of frequency resources, rather than with a particularsignal.

Of course, the metrics 204 and 216 can include any qualitative andquantitative measurements of signals, and are not limited to the metricsdiscussed in connection with FIGS. 2A and 2B. For example, metrics caninclude RSRP and/or RSRQ, which can be used to determine whether anynoise and/or interference is caused by a neighboring cell (e.g., aneighboring communication node) or a television signal. In a furtherexample, the metrics 204 and 216 can be used to distinguish between avariety of use cases. In a first use case, a RSSI can be low with a highinterference, where by the high interference can result from a weaksignal (e.g., without a TV signal). In a second use case, a RSSI can behigh with a high interference, and a determination can be made whetherthere is an interfering LTE signal, for example. In such as case, ifthere is no neighboring interfering LTE signal, for example, adetermination can be made that an interfering TV signal, for example, islikely. In a third use case, if the SINR is low, no interference (e.g.,LTE signal, TV signal, etc.) is expected.

In some instances, the first set of frequency resources (e.g., utilizedby the signal 212) can be independent of the second set of frequencyresources (e.g., utilized by the signal 208). In some instances, theuser equipment 202 can be connected to the base station 214 via thesignal 212 to facilitate a communication by and between the userequipment 202 and another device. Further, the user equipment canreceive the signal 208 and monitor metrics associated with the signalindependent of any metrics associated with the signal 212. In someinstances, the user equipment 202 can determine metrics for a pluralityof frequency resources and/or channels, for example.

Thus, FIGS. 2A and 2B illustrate various examples whereby the metrics204 and 216 captured and/or determined by the user equipment 202 canprovide information about a topology of a network or the environments200 and 210.

FIG. 3 illustrates an example user equipment 300 configured to implementthe spectrum analyzer, in accordance with embodiments of the disclosure.In some embodiments, the user equipment 300 can correspond to the userequipment 102 and 202 of FIGS. 1 and 2. It is to be understood in thecontext of this disclosure that the user equipment 300 can beimplemented as a single device or as a plurality of devices withcomponents and data distributed among them. By way of example, andwithout limitation, the user equipment 300 can be implemented as varioususer equipment 102(1), 102(2), . . . , 102(N).

As illustrated, the user equipment 300 comprises a memory 302 storing aspectrum analyzer component 304, an operating system component 306, acommunication component 308, a location component 310, a powermanagement component 312, and a reporting component 314. Also, the userequipment 300 includes processor(s) 316, a removable storage 318 andnon-removable storage 320, input device(s) 322, output device(s) 324,and transceiver(s) 326.

In various embodiments, memory 302 is volatile (such as RAM),non-volatile (such as ROM, flash memory, etc.) or some combination ofthe two. The spectrum analyzer component 304, the operating systemcomponent 306, the communication component 308, the location component310, the power management component 312, and the reporting component 314stored in the memory 302 can comprise methods, threads, processes,applications or any other sort of executable instructions. The spectrumanalyzer component 304, the operating system component 306, thecommunication component 308, the location component 310, the powermanagement component 312, and the reporting component 314 can alsoinclude files and databases.

The spectrum analyzer component 304 can include functionality todetermine one or more metrics associated with a signal received,detected, or otherwise monitored by the user equipment 300. For example,the spectrum analyzer component 304 can determine metrics including butnot limited to RSSI, RSRP, RSRQ, SINR, power density and the like for aspecific bandwidth in the frequency domain. In some instances,information can be associated with the metrics, such as a band number,channel number, block identifier, and the like. In some instances, thespectrum analyzer component 304 can scan a frequency resource at anyregular or irregular interval, or can initiate a scan based on aninternal or external trigger or command. For example, the spectrumanalyzer component 304 can receive an instruction from a remote networkdevice to initiate a scan. In some instances, the spectrum analyzercomponent can determine operating conditions or characteristics of theuser equipment 300 (e.g., a power resource, location, etc.), and acommand to initiate scanning can be based at least in part on thoseoperating conditions or characteristics. In some instances, the spectrumanalyzer component 304 can include previously-collected measurements. Insome instances, the spectrum analyzer component 304 can sampleconditions of a signal over a period of time and perform a statisticalanalysis to determine additional metrics (e.g., average, median, high,low, etc.) associated with the signal.

In some instances, the spectrum analyzer component 304 can beimplemented as an application operating on the user equipment 300. Insome instances, to initiate a scan of one or more frequency resources,the spectrum analyzer component can call an API (application programminginterface) implemented in the operating system component 306, forexample.

In some instances, the spectrum analyzer component 304 can includefunctionality to present a user interface on the user equipment 300, forexample, to receive an indication from a user enabling or disabling aspectrum analyzer mode of the spectrum analyzer component 304. Forexample, in some instances, a user of the user equipment can turn on orturn off the spectrum analyzer component 304 based on personalpreferences, incentives from a service provider, inclusion in avoluntary program, and the like.

In some instances, the spectrum analyzer component 304 can correspond tothe spectrum analyzer component 104 of FIG. 1.

The operating system component 306 can include functionality to query achipset of the user equipment 300, and/or to query the transceiver(s)326, to instruct the transceiver(s) 326 and/or any software or hardwareto scan one or more channels or frequency resources to determine metricsassociated with the channel or frequency resources, for example. In someinstances, the operating system component 306 can include a first API toreceive instructions from the spectrum analyzer component 304 and toprovide data to the spectrum analyzer component 304, and a second API toissue instructions to software or hardware associated with a modem orthe transceiver(s) 326 and to receive data from such components.

The communication component 308 can include functionality to conductcommunications with one or more other devices, as discussed herein. Insome instances, the communication component 308 can conduct acommunication via a first set of frequency resources, while the spectrumanalyzer component 304 can analyze a second set of frequency resources.In some instances, at least a portion of the first set and the secondset of frequency resources can be overlapping, and in some instances,the first set and the second set of frequency resources can beindependent. In some instances, the communication component 308 can takepriority over resources of the user equipment 300 to conduct acommunication. That is, if the spectrum analyzer component 304 initiatesa scan of a frequency resource, and if the communication component 308subsequently initiates a communication using the frequency resource oranother frequency resource, in some instances, the communicationcomponent 308 can initiate the communication by interrupting thespectrum analyzer component 304. In some instances, other prioritizationschemes may be used, and the communication component 308 can have anyrelative or absolute priority level.

The location component 310 can include functionality to determine alocation of the user equipment 300. In some instances, the locationcomponent 310 can determine a location based at least in part on GPSlocation data, base station identity, Wi-Fi access point identity, or acombination of location sources. In some embodiments, a location caninclude a mobile network code (MNC) and a mobile country code (MCC) usedin combination to uniquely identify a mobile network carrier network. Insome embodiments, the location component 310 can determine a basestation or cell identity, and/or latitude, longitude, altitudeinformation, and timestamp information. In some instances, the locationcan be determined in connection with determining one or more metricsassociated with a signal or channel. In some instances, the location canbe provided to a network device, for example, for aggregation andanalysis. In some instances, the location component 310 can determine alocation of the user equipment 300 relative to a location of a geofencedlocation. For example, the location component 310 can receive ageofenced location from a network device.

The power management component 312 can include functionality todetermine a status and/or level of a power resource of the userequipment 300. For example, the power management component 312 candetermine a remaining battery percentage, remaining charge, used charge,etc. to evaluate resources of the user equipment 300. Further, the powermanagement component 312 can determine that the power resource is aboveor below a threshold value, for example, to determine whether theremaining amount of energy is sufficient for expected levels ofactivity. In some instances, a schedule for initiating scanning offrequency resources can be based at least in part on a power resource ofthe user equipment 300. For example, when a battery level is relativelyhigh (and/or the user equipment 300 is connected to an external sourceof power) the scanning can be initiated more frequently than when abattery level is relatively low (and/or the user equipment is notconnected to external power). Of course, a variety of power managementschemes can be used to initiate scanning based at least in part onavailable power resources.

The reporting component 314 can include functionality to store one ormore metrics associated with one or more frequency resources and to sendsuch metrics to a network device. In some instances, the reportingcomponent 314 can send the one or more metrics to a network device asthe one or more metrics are generated, captured, or determined. In someinstances, the reporting component 314 can aggregate the metrics andsend the aggregated metrics to the network device. In some instances,the reporting component 314 can send the metrics based on a connectiontype of the user equipment 300 (e.g., when the user equipment 300 isconnected to a Wi-Fi network). In some instances, the reportingcomponent 314 can send the metrics at a time of low network congestion(e.g., at night). In some instances, the reporting component 314 cantransmit metrics in response to a query from a network device, forexample. In some instances, the reporting component 314 can encode thedata sent to a network device such that a service provider tracking datausage does not count the data against a quota associated with the userequipment 300.

In some embodiments, the processor(s) 316 is a central processing unit(CPU), a graphics processing unit (GPU), or both CPU and GPU, or otherprocessing unit or component known in the art.

The user equipment 300 also includes additional data storage devices(removable and/or non-removable) such as, for example, magnetic disks,optical disks, or tape. Such additional storage is illustrated in FIG. 3by removable storage 318 and non-removable storage 320. Tangiblecomputer-readable media can include volatile and non-volatile, removableand non-removable media implemented in any method or technology forstorage of information, such as computer readable instructions, datastructures, program modules, or other data. Memory 302, removablestorage 318 and non-removable storage 320 are all examples ofcomputer-readable storage media. Computer-readable storage mediainclude, but are not limited to, RAM, ROM, EEPROM, flash memory or othermemory technology, CD-ROM, digital versatile discs (DVD),content-addressable memory (CAM), or other optical storage, magneticcassettes, magnetic tape, magnetic disk storage or other magneticstorage devices, or any other medium which can be used to store thedesired information and which can be accessed by the user equipment 300.Any such tangible computer-readable media can be part of the userequipment 300.

In various embodiments, the user equipment 300 can include applicationsincluding but are not limited, a web browser application, a videostreaming application, an online gaming application, a spectrumanalyzer, and the like. During execution on the user equipment 102, eachof the applications may be configured to cause the user equipment 102 toinitiate data communications with the network device(s) 112 over thenetwork(s) 114.

The user equipment 102 may be configured to communicate over atelecommunications network using any common wireless and/or wirednetwork access technology. Moreover, the user equipment 102 may beconfigured to run any compatible device operating system (OS), includingbut not limited to, Microsoft Windows Mobile, Google Android, Apple iOS,Linux Mobile, as well as any other common mobile device OS.

The user equipment 300 also can include input device(s) 322, such as akeypad, a cursor control, a touch-sensitive display, voice input device,etc., and output device(s) 324 such as a display, speakers, printers,etc. These devices are well known in the art and need not be discussedat length here.

As illustrated in FIG. 3, the user equipment 300 also includes one ormore wired or wireless transceiver(s) 326. For example, thetransceiver(s) 326 can include a network interface card (NIC), a networkadapter, a LAN adapter, or a physical, virtual, or logical address toconnect to various network(s) 114, or to the network device(s) 112, forexample. To increase throughput when exchanging wireless data, thetransceiver(s) 326 can utilize multiple-input/multiple-output (MIMO)technology. The transceiver(s) 326 can comprise any sort of wirelesstransceivers capable of engaging in wireless, radio frequency (RF)communication. The transceiver(s) 326 can also include other wirelessmodems, such as a modem for engaging in Wi-Fi, WiMax, Bluetooth,infrared communication, and the like.

In some instances, the transceiver(s) 326 can correspond to thetransceiver(s) 106 of FIG. 1.

FIG. 4 illustrates an example network device 400 configured to receivenetwork metrics captured by user equipment, in accordance withembodiments of the disclosure. In some embodiments, the network device400 can correspond to the network device 112 of FIG. 1. It is to beunderstood in the context of this disclosure that the network device 400can be implemented as a single device or as a plurality of devices withcomponents and data distributed among them.

As illustrated, the network device 400 comprises a memory 402 storing anaggregation component 404, a transmitter database component 406, ageofencing component 408, and an enablement component 410. Also, thenetwork device 400 includes processor(s) 412, a removable storage 414and non-removable storage 416, input device(s) 418, output device(s)420, and transceiver(s) 422.

In various embodiments, the memory 402 is volatile (such as RAM),non-volatile (such as ROM, flash memory, etc.) or some combination ofthe two. The aggregation component 404, the transmitter databasecomponent 406, the geofencing component 408, and the enablementcomponent 410 stored in the memory 402 can comprise methods, threads,processes, applications or any other sort of executable instructions.The aggregation component 404, the transmitter database component 406,the geofencing component 408, and the enablement component 410 can alsoinclude files and databases.

The aggregation component 404 can include functionality to receive oneor more metrics determined and/or captured by user equipment, asdiscussed herein. In some instances, the aggregation component 404 canreceive a plurality of metrics and store the metrics in a database. Insome instances, the metrics can be indexed by location, time, userequipment, and the like. In some instances, the aggregation component404 can perform any statistical analysis on the metrics to determine avariety of signal characteristics. For example, the aggregationcomponent 404 can determine a signal type (e.g., TV, radio, cell phone,etc.) as well as quantitate or qualitative characteristics of thesignal.

In some instances, the aggregation component 404 can correspond to theaggregation component 116 of FIG. 1.

The transmitter database component 406 can store locations oftransmitters and/or base stations in a database. Further, thetransmitter database component 406 can receive location data and/ormetrics associated with a signal to determine which transmittercorresponds to the metrics. In some instances, the transmitter databasecomponent 406 can determine a confidence value associated with theidentity of a transmitter or base station.

The geofencing component 408 can include functionality to determineareas in which the spectrum analysis should be performed. For example,the geofencing component 408 can determine areas around a legacytransmitter (e.g., a TV antenna) where metrics are to be determined. Insome instances, the geofencing component 408 can determine areas wherenetwork resources (e.g., new base stations) are to be deployed toconfirm signal status in that area. In some instances, the geofencingcomponent 408 can determine areas where signal characteristics are knownsuch that the spectrum analysis is not needed. In some instances, thegeofencing component 408 can send indications of the geofenced locationsto one or more user equipment to collect metrics, as discussed herein.

The enablement component 410 can include functionality to enable aspectrum analysis component for individual user equipment. For example,the enablement component 410 can send invitations to various userequipment to determine if users of the user equipment wish to activatethe spectrum analyzer, as discussed herein. In some instances, theenablement component 410 can enable the spectrum analyzer component forindividual user equipment based at least in part on characteristics ofthe user component, such as whether an antenna of the user equipment isconfigured to receive signals associated with particular frequencyresources.

In further examples, the enablement component 410 can provide aninstruction or indication to conduct drive-testing in an area based atleast in part on metrics obtained by user equipment, as discussedherein.

In some embodiments, the processor(s) 412 is a central processing unit(CPU), a graphics processing unit (GPU), or both CPU and GPU, or otherprocessing unit or component known in the art.

The network device 400 also includes additional data storage devices(removable and/or non-removable) such as, for example, magnetic disks,optical disks, or tape. Such additional storage is illustrated in FIG. 4by removable storage 414 and non-removable storage 416. Tangiblecomputer-readable media can include volatile and nonvolatile, removableand non-removable media implemented in any method or technology forstorage of information, such as computer readable instructions, datastructures, program modules, or other data. Memory 402, removablestorage 414 and non-removable storage 416 are all examples ofcomputer-readable storage media. Computer-readable storage mediainclude, but are not limited to, RAM, ROM, EEPROM, flash memory or othermemory technology, CD-ROM, digital versatile discs (DVD) or otheroptical storage, magnetic cassettes, magnetic tape, magnetic diskstorage or other magnetic storage devices, or any other medium which canbe used to store the desired information and which can be accessed bythe network device 400. Any such tangible computer-readable media can bepart of the network device 400.

The network device 400 can include input device(s) 418, such as akeypad, a cursor control, a touch-sensitive display, etc. Also, thenetwork device 400 can include output device(s) 420, such as a display,speakers, etc. These devices are well known in the art and need not bediscussed at length here.

As illustrated in FIG. 4, the network device 400 can include one or morewired or wireless transceiver(s) 422. In some wireless embodiments, toincrease throughput, the transceiver(s) 422 can utilizemultiple-input/multiple-output (MIMO) technology. The transceiver(s) 422can be any sort of wireless transceivers capable of engaging inwireless, radio frequency (RF) communication. The transceiver(s) 422 canalso include other wireless modems, such as a modem for engaging inWi-Fi, WiMax, Bluetooth, infrared communication, or the like.

FIG. 5 illustrates an example visualization of data including datacaptured using a spectrum analyzer, as discussed herein. In someinstances, the example visualization can be represented as a heat map500.

In some instances, the heat map 500 can represent various transmitters502 and 504 in an environment. Further, the heat map 500 can representvarious data 506 and 508, which can correspond to aggregated data and/orindividual metrics collected by user equipment, as discussed herein. Insome instances, the data 506 and 508 can represent various levels ofmetrics, such as RSSI, RSRP, RSRQ, or SINR, determined by the userequipment. For example, a relatively high RSSI metric can be representedas the data 506, corresponding to the symbol “*”. In some examples, arelatively lower RSSI metric can be represented as the data 508,corresponding to the symbol “˜”. Of course, any indications (e.g.,color, size, shape, labels, etc.) can be used to distinguish betweenvarious metrics. In some instances, the heat map 500 can be used in partto determine locations where active transmitters (e.g., the transmitter502 or 504) are located, where user equipment experience interferenceand the like, and/or where to deploy additional base stations, forexample.

In some instances, the heat map 500 can be generated by the aggregationcomponents 116 and 404, as discussed herein. Of course, the examplevisualizations are not limited to the heat map 500. Further, thetransmitters 504 and 504 are not limited to transmitters, and includeany transceivers and/or base stations.

FIGS. 6-8 illustrate example processes in accordance with embodiments ofthe disclosure. These processes are illustrated as logical flow graphs,each operation of which represents a sequence of operations that can beimplemented in hardware, software, or a combination thereof. In thecontext of software, the operations represent computer-executableinstructions stored on one or more computer-readable storage media that,when executed by one or more processors, perform the recited operations.Generally, computer-executable instructions include routines, programs,objects, components, data structures, and the like that performparticular functions or implement particular abstract data types. Theorder in which the operations are described is not intended to beconstrued as a limitation, and any number of the described operationscan be combined in any order and/or in parallel to implement theprocesses.

FIG. 6 illustrates an example process 600 for scanning of one or morefrequency resources to determine network metrics, as described herein.The example process 600 can be performed by the user equipment 102 and202 (or another component), in connection with other componentsdiscussed herein. Some or all of the process 600 can be performed by oneor more devices, equipment, or components illustrated in FIGS. 1-4, forexample.

At 602, the operation can include initiating scanning of one or morefrequency resources. In some instances, the operation 602 can beperformed by the spectrum analyzer component 104 or 304, for example. Insome instances, the one or more frequency resources can represent arange of frequencies used for wirelessly communicating information. Insome instances, the one or more frequencies can correspond to variouschannels of a frequency band. In some instances, the operation 602 caninclude determining that one or more resources of a user equipment(e.g., a transceiver) is available to be used for scanning the one ormore frequency resources. In some instances, the operation 602 caninclude tuning one or more components of a user equipment (e.g., filtersassociated with an antenna) to receive a signal associated with the oneor more frequency resources.

At 604, the operation can include determining one or more metricsassociated with the one or more frequency resources. As discussedherein, the one or more metrics can include, but are not limited to, oneor more of RSSI, RSRP, RSRC, SINR, channel identifier, channelfrequency, timing information (e.g., delay), and the like. In someinstances, the one or more metrics can also include informationassociated with the user equipment, including but not limited to, one ormore of a user equipment identifier, antenna capabilities, softwareversion, hardware version, amount of power consumed, number ofmeasurements, and the like. In some instances, the operation 602 caninclude performing any signal processing and/or statistical analysis onsignals and/or data to determine the one or more metrics.

In some instances, the operation 604 can further include determining atype of interference associated with the one or more frequencyresources. For example, the operation can include demodulating at leasta portion of the one or more frequency resources. In some instances, theone or more frequency resources can be modulated suing a variety oftechniques including, but are not limited to, Binary Phase Shift Keying(BPSK), Quadrature Phase-Shift Keying (QPSK), 16-Quadrature AmplitudeModulation (16QAM), 64QAM, or 256QAM. Thus, demodulation techniques canbe used to demodulate a modulated signal. In some instances, if one ormore demodulation techniques fail, the operation 604 can determine thatinterference associated with the one or more frequency resources can bean interference signal (e.g., from a non-LTE signal).

At 606, the operation can include determining a location associated withthe one or more metrics. For example, the location can include alocation of the user equipment at the time in which the one or moremetrics are determined with respect to the one or more frequencyresources. In some instances, the location can be based at least in parton GPS data captured by the user equipment.

At 608, the operation can include sending the one or more metrics andthe location to a network device for aggregation. For example, theoperation 608 can include sending the metrics and location to thenetwork device(s) 112, as discussed herein. As data is received by thenetwork device, the data can be aggregated to determine transmitterlocation(s), location(s) of interference, location(s) where to deploynetwork resources (e.g., a base station), and the like.

FIG. 7 illustrates an example process 700 for instructing components ofa user equipment to scan a channel of a frequency resource, as describedherein. The example process 700 can be performed by the user equipment102 and 202 (or another component), in connection with other componentsdiscussed herein. Some or all of the process 600 can be performed by oneor more devices, equipment, or components illustrated in FIGS. 1-4, forexample.

At 702, the operation can include instructing an operating systemcomponent of a user equipment to scan at least one channel of afrequency resource outside of a range of frequencies used by the userequipment for communication. For example, the user equipment can utilizea first range of frequencies (e.g., associated with one or more of 2G,3G, 4G, and/or 4G LTE technologies) to facilitate communications withother devices. In some instances, the operation 702 can includeinitiating scanning on at least one channel of a second range offrequencies, whereby the first range of frequencies is mutuallyexclusive of the second range of frequencies. In some instances, theoperation 702 can be initiated by an application, such as a spectrumanalyzer application, operating on the user equipment. In someinstances, the operation 702 can include calling one or more APIsassociated with the various components to facilitate the scanning of atleast one channel, as discussed herein.

At 704, the operation can include receiving, from the operating systemcomponent, one or more metrics associated with the at least one channel.In some instances, the one or more metrics can include, but are notlimited to, RSSI, RSRP, RSRQ, SINR, and the like. Further, as discussedherein, the operation 704 can include receiving location informationfrom other components of the user equipment.

At 706, the operation can include sending the one or more metrics to anetwork device, such as the network device(s) 112 of FIG. 1.

FIG. 8 illustrates an example process 800 for initiating scanning basedon a power resource and/or location of user equipment, as describedherein. The example process 800 can be performed by the user equipment102 and 202 (or another component), in connection with other componentsdiscussed herein. Some or all of the process 600 can be performed by oneor more devices, equipment, or components illustrated in FIGS. 1-4, forexample.

At 802, the operation can include determining a power resource of a userequipment. In some instances, the power resource can be an internalpower resource associated with the user equipment, such as a battery. Insome instances, the power resource can be a state of an external powerresource, such as a connection to a power grid. In some instances, theoperation 802 can include determining usage statistics based onhistorical usage patterns, a number of applications in use, and thelike.

At 804, the operation can include determining a location of the userequipment. For example, the operation can include determining a locationof the user equipment relative to a geofenced location or area where thespectrum analysis is enabled or disabled, depending on theimplementation. In some instances, the location can be determined fromGPS data, for example, while the geofenced location or area can bereceived from a network device

At 806, the operation can include initiating scanning of at least onechannel based at least in part on the power resource and the location ofthe user equipment. For example, the operation 806 can includedetermining that a power resource of a user equipment is above athreshold value, and initiating scanning based on the power resourcebeing above the threshold value. In some instances, the operation 806can include determining that the location of the user equipment iswithin a geofenced location where scanning is permitted, or determiningthat the location of the user equipment is within a threshold distancesof a particular location, and initiating the scanning accordingly.

CONCLUSION

Although the subject matter has been described in language specific tostructural features and/or methodological acts, it is to be understoodthat the subject matter defined in the appended claims is notnecessarily limited to the specific features or acts described. Rather,the specific features and acts are disclosed as exemplary forms ofimplementing the claims.

What is claimed is:
 1. A device comprising: one or more processors; amemory; and one or more components stored in the memory and executableby the one or more processors to perform operations comprising:conducting at least one communication via a first set of frequencyresources; initiating a scan of a second set of frequency resources,wherein the second set of frequency resources is different than thefirst set of frequency resources; detecting a signal associated with thesecond set of frequency resources; determining one or more metricsassociated with the signal, the one or more metrics including a receivedsignal strength indication (RSSI), a reference signal received power(RSRP), a reference signal received quality (RSRQ), and asignal-to-interference-plus-noise ratio (SINR); and sending the one ormore metrics to a network device for aggregation and analysis.
 2. Thedevice of claim 1, wherein the device is a mobile telephone, and whereinthe initiating the scan of the second set of frequency resources isperformed by an application operating on the mobile telephone.
 3. Thedevice of claim 1, wherein the operations further comprise: determininga location of the device associated with the one or more metrics; andsending the location of the device to the network device for aggregationand analysis.
 4. The device of claim 1, wherein: the first set offrequency resources includes at least one first channel associated withat least one of a 700 MHz band, 1700 MHz band, a 1900 MHz band, or a2100 MHz band; and the second set of frequency resources includes atleast one second channel associated with a 600 MHz band or a 3500 MHzband.
 5. The device of claim 1, wherein the operations further comprise:determining a power resource associated with the device; determining alocation associated with the device; and initiating the scan of thesecond set of frequency resources based at least in part on the powerresource and the location.
 6. The device of claim 1, wherein theoperations further comprise: receiving, via a user interface of thedevice, a command indicative of enabling a spectrum analyzer mode, andinitiating the scan of the second set of frequency resources based atleast in part on the command enabling the spectrum analyzer mode.
 7. Asystem comprising: one or more processors; a memory; and one or morecomponents stored in the memory and executable by the one or moreprocessors to perform operations comprising: initiating, via anapplication operating on a user equipment, a scan of at least onefrequency resource; detecting a signal associated with the at least onefrequency resource; determining one or more metrics associated with thesignal; determining a location associated with the one or more metrics;and sending the one or more metrics and the location to a networkdevice.
 8. The system of claim 7, wherein the one or more metricsinclude one or more of: a received signal strength indication (RSSI); areference signal received power (RSRP); asignal-to-interference-plus-noise ratio (SINR); or a reference signalreceived quality (RSRQ).
 9. The system of claim 7, wherein the at leastone frequency resource is at least one first frequency resourceassociated with a first frequency range, and wherein the operationsfurther comprise: initiating a communication using at least one secondfrequency resource, wherein the at least one second frequency resourceis associated with a second frequency range that is separate from thefirst frequency range; and initiating the scan of the at least one firstfrequency resource independent of the communication using the at leastone second frequency resource.
 10. The system of claim 7, wherein theoperations further comprise: initiating a communication using the atleast one frequency resource; determining asignal-to-interference-plus-noise ratio (SINR) associated with the atleast one frequency resource; determining that the SINR is above a firstthreshold value; determining a received signal strength indication(RSSI) associated with the at least one frequency resource; determiningthat the RSSI is above a second threshold value; and sending the one ormore metrics including the SINR to the network device.
 11. The system ofclaim 7, wherein the operations further comprise: determining a powerresource associated with the user equipment; determining a locationassociated with the user equipment; and initiating the scan of the atleast one frequency resource based at least in part on the powerresource and the location.
 12. The system of claim 7, wherein theoperations further comprise: providing a user interface for presentationvia the user equipment; receiving a command via the user interface, thecommand indicative of enabling a spectrum analyzer mode; and initiatingthe scan of the at least one frequency resource based at least in parton the command enabling the spectrum analyzer mode.
 13. The system ofclaim 7, wherein operations further comprise: determining a location ofthe user equipment initiating the scan; and sending the location of theuser equipment to the network device for aggregation and analysis. 14.The system of claim 7, and wherein the operations further comprise:scanning one or more channels of the at least one frequency resourcebased at least in part on a scanning schedule.
 15. The system of claim7, wherein the operations further comprise: receiving, by the networkdevice, a plurality of network metrics, wherein a network metric of theplurality of network metrics includes an associated location;determining, by the network device and based at least in part on theplurality of network metrics, aggregated network metrics; anddetermining, by the network device and based at least in part on theaggregated network metrics, an interference level of a channelassociated with the at least one frequency resource.
 16. A methodcomprising: receiving, by a user equipment selectively configured toinitiate a first communication via first set of frequency resources andto initiate a second communication via a second set of frequencyresources, a command to configure the user equipment to initiatecommunications via the first set of frequency resources; initiating, bythe user equipment, a scan of the second set of frequency resources;detecting, by the user equipment, a signal associated with the secondset of frequency resources; determining, by the user equipment, one ormore metrics associated with the signal; determining, by the userequipment, a location associated with the one or more metrics; andsending, by the user equipment, the one or more metrics and the locationto a network device.
 17. The method of claim 16, wherein the methodfurther comprises: initiating, based at least in part on the command, acommunication via the first set of frequency resources.
 18. The methodof claim 16, wherein the method further comprises: determining a powerresource associated with the user equipment; determining a locationassociated with the user equipment; and initiating the scan of thesecond set of frequency resources based at least in part on the powerresource and the location.
 19. The method of claim 16, wherein themethod further comprises: presenting a user interface via a display ofthe user equipment; receiving a command via the user interface, thecommand indicative of enabling a spectrum analyzer mode; and initiatingthe scan of the second set of frequency resources based at least in parton the command enabling the spectrum analyzer mode.
 20. The method ofclaim 16, wherein the one or more metrics include at least a receivedsignal strength indication (RSSI), a reference signal received power(RSRP), a reference signal received quality (RSRQ), and asignal-to-interference-plus-noise ratio (SINR).
 21. A non-transitorycomputer-readable medium storing instructions that, when executed, causeone or more processors to perform operations comprising: receiving, by anetwork device, at least one network metric and a location associatedwith the at least one network metric, the at least one network metriccaptured by a user equipment configured to determine the at least onenetwork metric via a spectrum analyzer application; receiving, by thenetwork device, a plurality of network metrics, the plurality of networkmetrics including the at least one network metric; determining, by thenetwork device and based at least in part on the plurality of networkmetrics, aggregated network metrics; determining, by the network deviceand based at least in part on the aggregated network metrics, aninterference level of a signal associated with at least one frequencyresource; and determining, by the network device and based at least inpart on the aggregated network metrics, a power level associated withthe at least one frequency resource.
 22. The non-transitorycomputer-readable medium of claim 21, the operations further comprising:accessing, by the network device, a database including a location of atransmitter; and determining, by the network device, that at least aportion of the aggregated network metrics correspond to the transmitter.23. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 21, theoperations further comprising: determining, by the network device andbased at least in part on the aggregated network metrics, an indicationto deploy a base station to a location associated with the aggregatednetwork metrics.
 24. The non-transitory computer-readable medium ofclaim 21, the operations further comprising: determining, by the networkdevice and based at least in part on the aggregated network metrics, anindication to deploy vehicle-based testing equipment to a locationassociated with the aggregated network metrics.